A new holiday?

President Bakiyev wants to make March 24th, the anniversary of the revolution, a national holiday. For those who just want an extra day off work, it’s a nice proposal, especially as it falls on a Friday this year. But many, including the association of looted businesses, are against making it a holiday. Russians and business owners seem to be most opposed. But one student interviewed on TV said, “Many people don’t have such good memories of that day. And the status of our government is not very good, compared to where it was before March 24th.”

My friend Shakir, a Kyrgyz, is unhappy with the new government. “Bakiyev has not created good politics,” he said. “He says one thing and does another.

“Akaev,” he continued, “was really smart. He could hold his own with any world leaders. He just had intrusive family and relatives that took a lot of benefits for themselves. But he himself was very impressive.”

I don’t hear any praise for Bakiyev these days, but of course, I’m in the north now and his support base is in the south.